photography-ing everywhere i go

Looking back, I should have taken photography more seriously a long time ago. Carrying my point and shoot everywhere, I was coined the nickname Paparazzi Paige by my best friends. I was always prepared to capture the best moments between us four or something that just looked cool. It started off just being images of me and my friends with our arms around each other or landscapes from tropical locations while on vacation, but then I started to pay attention to finer details and different angles. I believe I officially became a photographer the moment when my brain started automatically alerting me that what I was looking at would make a good image. Below is what I consider my first decent photographic image - taken with a point and shoot after a Catholic wedding in 2005. I remember standing in front of the church across the street waiting on friends to join us outside, when I randomly got the thought that what I was looking at would look awesome in black & white.

Other artists could sympathize - I'm sure musicians and painters get their inspiration from anything that they come in contact with in daily life, even when they aren't consciously looking for it. I just don't know how to explain it, but I will tell you...


IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME NOW.


I can not go anywhere without looking at an object and working out composition, lighting and even post-processing in my head. I can be deep in thought or conversation about something not even related and literally, I'll stop when I see something that tickles my brain's fancy, and either reach for my camera or make mental notes - sometimes verbal - on how I'd photograph that. It's definitely a blessing - this way, I know I'm not pretending to be a photographer - my brain works like one, yay, but it also can be a burden.


Perfect example: I ran the 33rd Annual Cooper River Bridge 10k Race this past weekend in Charleston, SC. I try my best not to think about anything when I run, because usually, it leads me to thinking about walking, and then my body jumps on the bandwagon. I simply just sing along to the songs on my iPod - that's it. Some people concentrate on their breathing, others make to-do lists for when they're done. I just sing. So I'm about 2 miles into the race without stopping to rest, which is pretty good for me and my kidney who hates to run, and I'm singing Miley Cyrus, when I reach the onramp of the Ravenel Bridge. I take one look at the bridge ahead of me and the thousands of people running underneath it's towering suspension and cables, still singing "Party in the USA" in my head, when it hits me: I rather be photographing this than running.
For a moment, I wished I had my DSLR. I started looking at the people around me and how the pain and motivation to push up this bridge would make a great action shot. A father and daughter are walking hand in hand as she points up to the cables of the bridge - that would have been cute to capture. Before I even realized it, I'm walking. And lemme tell ya: it felt so good to walk, but I promised myself that I'd walk to the top, then start running again. Luckily for me, I use my iPhone as my iPod, so I took it out of my pocket and snapped this picture. Of course, it's nothing fancy, but it satisfied my urge to capture this moment.

I make it to the top and Britney comes on. Score, no one motivates me like Britney. I start off in a steady trot, passing the little girl and her daddy, becoming one of the runners showing the determination to finish across my face. About half a mile, I see them. There's 3 of them. They are lined up along the concrete barrier that divides the bridge into traffic lanes. Photographers clicking away, taking pictures of the crowds of people, with their huge and impressive lenses. Must.... not.... stop.... must..... keep.....going.....
It was already too late. I slowed down to chat with one photographer about the lens he was using. Thanks, right brain, not only did you make me depressed because I will never be able to afford that lens, you have now added about 30 seconds onto my time.


Around the 4th mile, two familiar faces started to pass me - it was Heba and Ed from season 6 of The Biggest Loser. Quickly, I took out my phone again and clicked a picture of me following them while in mid run. Not only did following and finishing the race with them motivate me to keep going, but yes, you guessed it, getting a picture with them afterwards with them did too.

 I followed them the rest of the way and finished in 1:23:27 and they finished in 1:23:35. So what did I do? Didn't grab a water or bagel, or bend over to catch my breath - I ran over and asked them for the picture I had been thinking about since 2 miles back, because that's what photographers do.